All the Days of My Life

I KNOW . . . sounds like a sitcom. Yet, God pursuing us with goodness and mercy all the days of our lives is so much more than characters humorously portrayed on stage.

God not only forgives our sins, heals our diseases, redeems our lives from destruction, crowns us with love and compassion, satisfies our desires with good things, and renews our strength (Psa 103:3-5), He also disciplines those He loves. In mercy He does not give us as our sins deserve, but He disciplines and trains us for our good that we may share in His holiness and produce a harvest of righteousness and peace.

Therefore, the writer of Hebrews says, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees (Heb. 12:6,10,11,12).

When God says, I will fulfill My purpose for you; Surely My love endures forever—I will not abandon the works of My hands (Psa 138:8), we can grab onto that promise and run the race with it. Doesn’t that just give you a shot in the ole feeble arms and strengthen those weak knees?

Soon after we moved to Alaska, winter descended and I looked in amazement at the beauty of the Chugach Mountains bathed pink in the rays of the setting sun. These mountains surround Anchorage like a bowl and thousands of lights twinkled and sparkled in and around this frozen and otherwise dark city. Without a cloud cover the temperature dropped to O° Fahrenheit. In spite of landing in this winter wonderland, we wondered how God would fulfill His purpose for us here at the end of the earth, especially without a job or ministry.

Fortunately the light of Jesus also shines into cold and dark places. He brings life and beauty into the otherwise barren wastelands of our lives. God had already presided at my conception, rejoiced at my birth, taken my hand, and led me through perils of polio in childhood. He kept me through the tumultuous years of my youth and celebrated my wedding day. Jesus—our constant companion in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or for worse. He orchestrated the births of our children, felt our hearts as each left our nest, and brought seventeen grandchildren into being. Though we made our plans, God always directed our steps. He gave purpose to each difficult seasonal transition with the light of His love and grace.

Now, how unbelievable to actually be growing old. Yet, we can look back over a life-time of God’s goodness and mercy. I read that we cannot fathom the passing of time because we were made for eternity. Makes sense to me. David says, You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure (Psa 39:5). Chapters later he writes, He knows how we are formed, and remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more (Psa 103:14-16).

David acknowledges that God purposefully ordained each of our days, All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psa 139:16). Each day is God’s gift to us to spend either in selfish pursuits or in loving and adoring Him.

We only have One. Short. Life.

Therefore. . . let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. . . (Heb 12:1-2). God marked out a unique path for each one of us, a race for you and a race for me to complete and for Him to perfect.

How important to hold His hand throughout our days. As a small child I remember reaching up for my Daddy’s hand as we walked out of church in a crowded isle. What a surprise reaching the foyer to look up and discover I was holding the wrong daddy’s hand! My tears of embarrassment stilled as my own Daddy took me in his arms. How easy to grasp another’s hand for security with resulting pain and embarrassment. Yet, each time we run back into our Daddy’s arms, He holds us even more closely.

Not only is He our Eternal and Good Shepherd, but our Creator, Designer, and the Master Weaver of our lives:

MASTER WEAVER

Master Weaver,
Weaver of my ways.
I look to You for all my days.
Master Weaver,
Weaving love through pain and strife,
You are the designer,
The designer of my life.

Weaver, take the broken strands
And replace them all with new.
I desire my life to be
Without blemish, without stain,
Living just for You.

Take the tangles of my sin,
By Your mercy, set me free,
Through Your perfect sacrifice,
Lamb of God on Calvary,
Gave Your blood for me.

Take the dark threads of my years,
Sweetest offering raised to Thee,
Then Your lovely character
Will be woven skillfully,
Your pattern seen in me.

Weave the bright strands of Your joys
Through the days of dark despair,
So the world may see You’re real,
Through my life, LORD,
Know You’re there,
The Weaver that I share.

Master Weaver,
Weaver of my ways.
I look to You for all my days.
Master Weaver,
Weaving love through pain and strife,
You are the designer,
The designer of my life.

© 1985 MarJean S. Peters